Passenger-register



(Model) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. W. FOWLER & D. I. LEWIS.

PASSENGER REGISTER. No. 247,552. Patented'Sept. 27,1881.

. (ModeL) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. W. FOWLER & D. P. LEWIS.

PASSENGER REGISTER.

No. 247,552. Patented Sept; 27,1881.

(ModeL) 4Sh eets-Sheet 3.

J. W. FOWLER & D. F. LEWIS.

PASSENGER REGISTER.

I \III:- \llbullIllli m J. 8 m E; L n

p e S 0 CU b n 8 b a P 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. J. W. FOWLER & D. I. LEWIS.

(ModeL) PASSENGER REGISTER. No. 247,552.

Patented'Sept. '27, 1881.

UNITED STATES ATENT Erica.

JOHN W. FOWLER AND DANIEL F. LEWIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

-PASSENGER-REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,552, dated September 27, 1881.

Application filed June 27, 1881.

certain features of our alarm passenger-registers, and is additional to ourinventions patented April 21, 1877, July 30, 1878, September 3,1878, and August 17, 1880. (Letters Patent ot' the United States numbered 190,021, 206,- 553, 207,728, and 231,161.) The respective parts of this invention may, however, be embodied in any other register in which a rotary trip-hand or any equivalent thereof may be adapted to be reset at will independently of the main actuating mechanism of the register, or in which an alarm mechanism and main actuatingmechanism may be combined and arranged to operate substantially as hereinafter described.

The principal object of the first part of the presentinvention is to provide in peculiar man ner for actuating the reciprocating slide of our superior setting mechanism, patented August 17, 1880, or any inclosed reciprocating settingslide having a long stroke, by means of an exposed knob, or its equivalent, so connected therewith as to remain attached, this result to be accomplished so as to avoid the disadvantages which would attach to a protruding pushknob having a shank ot'the requisite length, owing to its unsightly appearance, tempting accessibility, and liability to accidental actuation, and so as to secure the advantages of a downward pull for the main setting-stroke, freedom from liability to displacement or loss, and freedom from the marring effect and delays incident to inserting a loose key through a small hole in the plated case of the register.

Another object of this part of the present invention is to adapt our own setting mechanism aforesaid to be actuated by means of an exposed pull-knob, so connected therewith as' to remain attached, with as little alteration of the mechanism as possible, and without losing the advantageous aid of gravity in bringing the parts to rest, as set forth in the specification of our Patent No. 231,161.

The remaining part of the present invention Model.)

has for its objects, first, to render the bellhammer stationary during the whole of each registeri n g-stroke of the main slide or i ts equi valent, so as thus more absolutely to preclude ringing the bell until after each unit is fully registered; secondly, to effectively actuate the bell-hammer by the improved mechanism during each return-stroke of said main slide or its equivalent, for ringing the bell after each unit is fully registered; thirdly, to prevent ringing the bell until the final act of bringing the parts to rest at the end of each returnstroke of said main slide or its equivalent, and thus to preclude ringing the bell more than once after each registration; and, finally,to provide by the same means,in part, for correcting the indications of a unit-register or a pair of unit-registers, after any incomplete or excessive movements thereof by inadequate or violent actuations of said main slide or its equivalent.

The present invention consists in certain parts and combinations whereby the objects above stated are secured, as hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, Figures 1 and 2 are small external views of an improved alarm-register illustrating the present invention. Fig. 3 is a face'v-iew of the same on a larger scale, with the case and dials removed and the parts at rest. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the register in the central plane indicated at 4, Fig. 3. Fig.5 is a top view of the setting'mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4.; and Fig. 6 is a face view of the same under different conditions, illustrating its operation. Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional face views of the register, with parts out through and removed, in the plane of the main ratchet-wheel, the parts of the main actuating mechanism and alarm mechanism being shown in the respective views under different conditions, illustrating their operation. Fig. 9 is a face View of another improved alarmregister, with the case and main dial removed and the hundreds-dial broken away in part, showing a reversed setting mechanism which illustrates a modification of the present invention. Fig. 10 is an end view of the frameand ,I

attached knob, and Fig. 12 is a like view of a setting-hook for use in connection therewith, illustrating another modification of the present invention. Figs. at to 12, inclusive, are drawn to the same scale as Fig. 3.

Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures, and arrows indicating the motions of parts are numbered alike in all places.

To facilitate comparison, the letters of reference are, moreover, as a rule, the same as in the drawings of our previous inventions aforesaid so far as the same or substantially similar parts are shown.

The improved register illustrated by Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, in common with those shown in our previous patents, has externally a circular sheet-metal tlrunnz, and a glass face-plate, y, the former attached by screws :0 to a cast-iron back plate, it, which has a hook-lug, v, and a hasp-lug, u, for hanging the register.

The indicated means for actuating the inclosed registering mechanism consists of a stud-pin, 17 Fig. 2, working in a slot in the back plate, as shown in Figs. 7 antl S, and more fully shown, together with suitable accessories, at Figs. 14 and 15, for example, in our Patent No. 200,553; but any preferred pulling device may be employed. Said stud-pin projects from a main slide, S, retracted by a spring, 8, and said slide transmits motion through a workingpawl, F, to a main ratchet-wheel, It, on a rotary shaft, A, and this is connected by gearing P IV \V with a central unit-shaft, A, and an equidistant unit-shaft, B. (Arrows l 2 indicate the movements of the main slide S, and arrows 3 that of said shafts and gearing.) A spider or bridge-frame, 8, supports said shafts in front of the gearing, and posts 2 p and supplemental frame-pieces q (1 the latter having drilled and tapped studs 00, support a dial-plate, (I, at the proper distance behind the glass face-plate. In front of said dialplate a trip-hand, H, is carried by the central shaft, A, (through the medium of a frictional huh, I,) and a permanent hand, H is carried by the shaft B, an appropriate dial for each being provided,as shown in Fig.1,on the dialplate (I. A hundreds-registerin g mechanism is also incorporated, the figures on its rotary dial H being exposed successively by an opening in said dial-plate. The particular hundredsregistering mechanism which we have shown is the same as that claimed in our Patent No. 206,553, aforesaid, with the modifications described in our said Patent No. 231,161,to which we hereby refer. A setting mechanism supported by said frame-pieces g g coacts with the frictional hub of the trip-hand to turn the latter backward to Zero at will step by step independently of the main actuating mechanism, and the particular frictional hub I and setting-slide J which we have shown are the same as those claimed in our said Patent No. 231,161, as modified by the first part of the present invention.

Analarm mechanism is also combined with the main actuating mechanismfas heretofore; but the present mechanism of this description, apart from the bell proper, G, and its hammer layer .96, is novel in its construction and mode of operation, and constitutes, with a modified. working-pawl, F, and a single-click main detent, X, the subjectmatter of the second part of our present invention.

In carrying out said first part of our present invention, we construct and employ a rotary setting-hub, I, on the central shaft, A, and a reciprocating radial setting-slide, J, for transmitting motion to said hub, in the manner and with the guards described in our said Patent No. 231,161; but instead. of a removable key or pusher, as therein shown, we employ a knob, K, for example, connected with said slide, so as to remain attached as a permanent part of the register, and held at or against the edge of the register case or drum, when at rest, by the springs 8 s, which retract said slide, its shank K for example, being drawn within the case or drum by said springs in the act of bringing the parts to rest; Moreover, in the preferred mode ofconneeting an attached knob, K, with said setting-slide J, as illustrated by Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, we utilize the construction and arrangement of parts, whereby said slide is caused to gravitate to the position in which it is at rest and reduce the modification of the parts to a few slight alterations. The key-socket projection before used gives place to a small rack, R- attached to the top of the lower end of the slide. A loose pinion, I is mounted on the unit-shaft B in mesh with said attached rack, the opening at the lower end of the faceplatej of the slide being enlarged to accommodate said pinion, and a loose rack, R is held in mesh with the opposite side of said pinion by a guide-piece, j", attached to the slide end opposite said attached rack. Said loose rack is coupled at its lower end to a shank rod, K", and to the lower end of this shank-rod the knob K is attached by a screwjoint after the case or drum is applied, as illustrated by Fig. 4.

The relative positions of the parts when the slide J is at rest are shown in Fig. 3, and their positions when the knob K is pulled to the limit of its main stroke are shown in Fig. 6. The corresponding motions of the trip-hand H are indicated in Fig. 1, where the knob K is shown at rest in full lines and atits outerlimit in dotted lines, its respective movements being indicated by arrows S and S", and the resultant motion of the trip-hand by arrow 8. When the knob K is pulled it acts, through the rod K and loose rack B on the pinion I, turning said pinion and causing it to propel the attached rack B and therewith the slide J, in the opposite direction. In this, which weterin the main stroke, the cam b of the slide J acts on one of the arms, a, of the setting-hub I and moves the trip-hand H backward one-sixth of a revolution, or more or less, (according to its figure by dotted lines.

position)as, for example, from the position in which said hand is shown in full lines in Fig. Ito the position indicated at It in said At the end of said main stroke the knob K is released, (or it may be followed and aided by the hand,) permitting the tense retracting-sprin gs s s, with the gravity of the slide, to return the parts to their normal positions. In the return-stroke thus effected the cam b of the slide en gages with one of the arms, a of the setting-hub, and thetriphand is turned a full sixth of arevolution-as from the position indicated at h in Fig. l to zero-which is the position indicated at h in said figure, and the knob is left in elevated position close below the drum 2, as shown in full lines.

In carrying out the second part of our present invention we omit the combined feed-pawl and hammer and the notched detent-pawl shown in our previous patents, and employ instead a novel combination of parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and more clearly in Figs. 7 and 8-to wit, a simple working-pawl, F, a distinct bell-lever, E, a swinging catch, D, and a single-click main detent, X, with accessories, as represented, the arrangement, construction, and operation of these parts being as follows: The principal part is the distinct bell-lever E, which is attached to the back plate, to, by a pivotal screw immediately above the path of the working-pawl, beingcon structed with three limbs, e e? 6 Figs. 7 and 8, to the first of which we attach one end of an efficient striki rig-spring, s, of coiled wire, the other end of which is attached to a convenient dial-supporting post, 11 and to the second limb we attach abellhammer, h, having a fiat spring-shank of the requisite elasticity. This limb e projects forward to the striking-plane of the bell G, and the limb e is likewise projected forward above the working-pawl F, as shown in Fig. 4. A

stud-pin, 136, on the back plate, engagingwith the limb c,keeps the bell-hammer out of'actual contact with the bell when it is at rest, and it y is adapted to remain at rest, together with the bell-lever proper, as shown in full lines in Fig. 7, during the whole of each registering-stroke of the main slide S.

The slide S and the working-pawl F, which is carried thereby, are shown in Fig. 7 as approachingthe end of aregistering-stroke,which is indicated by arrow 1, and the transmitted registering-motion by arrow 3. At the completion of this stroke the main detent X enters a succeeding interdental notch in the main ratchet-wheel 1t, and locks said ratchet-wheel and theremainderof the unit-registeringmech anism against retrogression. The workingpawl F is attached to a lug on the main slide S by a pivotal screw,and has ahead, f adapted to engage with the teeth of the main ratchet-wheel 1t, and extended upward, so as to engage with said limb e of the bell-lever E during the return-strokes ot'the main slide S. lts actuation of the bell-leverisillustrated byFig.

8, which shows the main slide as approaching the end of a return-stroke. (Indicated by arrow 2.) During this stroke the headf of the working-pawl, in riding over the newly-advanced tooth r of the locked ratchet-wheel, is caused to rise and press against said limb e of the bell -lever, which is thus caused to move backward, as indicated by arrow 4", elevating the bell -hammer'h and putting the strikingspring s" under tension preparatory to the stroke of the bell. The latter takes place instantaneously, when the head of the workingpawl drops behind the newly-advanced ratchet-too th, and this restores the parts to the condition of rest illustrated in Fig. 3. The employment of a working-pawl having no spring of its own simplifies its construction and also that of the slide, while the spiral spring 8, stretched toa fixed post, is adapted to be longer and heavier than the spring heretofore used by us, so as to possess increased endurance and strength.

The swinging catch D is attached to the back plate by a pivotal screw at its upper end. It islocated to the right oi the bell-lever E, and has its face toward said bell-lever constructed with a square shoulder, d matching the end of the lever-limb c and is drawn toward said lever by a small spiral spring, 8, stretched to a stud-pimpflon the back plate. The extended lower end of the catch crosses the main slide S, and the latter is provided with a stud-pin, to engage therewith. At the beginning of each return-stroke of the main slide the pawl F, lever E, and catch D arein substantially the positions indicated by full lines in Fig. 7, those of the two latter being the positions of rest, indicated also in Fig. 3. As soon as the working-pawl moves the bcll-lever from said position of rest, at the beginning of the returnstroke, the end of the lever-limb a rising above the catch-shoulder d permits the catch to spring forward, so as to engage with said limb e of the bell-lever and arrest the bell-hammer beyond striking distancefrom the bell, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 7, should the motion of the main slide be reversed during the return-stroke. At the completion of the return-stroke, Fig. 8, and simultaneously with the tripping of the bell-hammer, as above described, said stud-pin p on the main slide completes its work of forcing back the catch D, (indicated by arrow 2 Fig. 8,) and permits a free stroke of the hell.

The main detent X and its spring a are identical with those shown in our Patent No. 231,161 aforesaid, apart from theomission ofthe safety-notch of our last previous main detent. The single-click main detent locks the main ratchet-wheel at the end ot'each completed forward movement, butnotbefore. Consequently, should an incomplete registering-stroke be imparted to the main slide, its motion being reversed, for example, when the pawls a re in the positions indicated in Fig. 7, the springs s, s, and s acting, respectively, through the main slide and working-pawl, and through the belllever and said pawl, and through the main detent, will operate to turn back the unlocked ratchet-wheel to correct position; and should an excessive movement be imparted to the ratchet-wh eel by a violent actuation ot'the main slide the same correcting action will follow. The motions of the main ratchet-wheel B being transmitted to the trip-hand H andthe unithand H of the permanent register, as aforesaid,itfollowsthat theindications of theformer, and at the same time those ofthe latter, are corrected by the aforesaid combination of parts after any incomplete or excessive actuation.

The two parts of our present invention are designed for use in one and the same register, as shown, but may obviously be used separately and modified in many mechanical details of construction and arrangement.

A modification of our improved means for actuating the settingslide, embodied in a register which is otherwise substantially identical with the register shown in our Patent No. 231,161 aforesaid, is illustrated by Figs. 9 and 10. In this modification a setting-slide, J and a frame, q (1 therefor, are constructed on the same general principle as those shown in said Patent No. 231,161, but so as to be used in inverted position in connection with a pull-knob, K directlya-ttached to the slide. To this end said slide J has a i'ace-plate,j, closed at its square end and open at its round end, to accommodate it to the shaft B, and its body is extended beyond said round end of the faceplate to receive the slot b and to carry below the shaft B a boss,j which receives the screwthreaded inner end of the knob-shank. The face-platej may be provided with this downward extension, instead of the body of the slide, if preferred. The body of the slide extends above, so as to remain between the upper guide-lugs of the frame-piece q", and the springs 8" s are stretched upward to the bracket or end support, g, which is attached at the top of the back plate. Said fra me-piece with its dial-supporting studs (2 6, may be identical with the frame-piece 1 before used; but the bracket q is necessarily constructed for its place, so as to clear the path of the bell-hammer, as indicated.

The external appearance of the modified register, Figs. 9 and 10, is substantially identical with that ot'the register hereinbefore described, as represented by Figs. 1 and 2, and the setting operation is the same asalready described, save that the knob K and slide J move together as one part, the racks and pinion of the device first described being dispensed with.

A substitute for the setting-knob K is represented by Figs. 11 and 12, and a substitute for the knob K and shank-rod K" may be constructed on the same principle. The objects of this modification are to prevent unscrewing the slide-pull from the working-register and to render its manipulation by unauthorized persons more difficult. To these ends we employ a fiat pull, K, which may be attached at one end to the slide J (or to the rack R before the drum z is applied, the latter to have a hole of corresponding shape and to be adapted to spring over the free end ot'the pull. This free end projects far enough only to expose a hole therein, which receives the nose ofa hook, K", carried by the person whose duty it is to reset the trip-registers.

5y any equivalent of a rotary trip-hand we mean what is more fully specified under these terms in our said Patent No. 231,161.

As awell-known equivalentofour main slide, we mention a lever carrying the main workingpawl.

WVe do not claim, broadly, a pull-knob, nor the described combination of pinion and racks, per so, both being old and well-known mechanical devices. Neither do we claim, broadly, a catch or detent to prevent ringing the bell of a register fraudulently, as we are aware that devices of this general character are shown, for example, in the expired patents of L. W. Mallory, No. 11,148, dated June 20, 1854, and Wm. Morris, No. 11,939, dated November 14, 1854. Neither do we claim herein any of the features shown in our previous patents afore said.

The following is what we now claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, namely 1. In a register having a trip-hand or its equivalent adapted to be reset at will, the combination, with a reciprocating setting-slide inelosed within the register-case, of an exposed knob or its equivalent connected therewith so as to remain attached, and a retracting spring or springs attached to said slide, said springs serving to draw the shank of the knob or its equivalent into the case in bringing theparts to rest, substantially as herein described, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a register having a trip-hand or its equivalent adapted to be reset at will, the combination, with areciprocatingsetting-slide inelosed within the register-ease, of the attached rack R loose pinion P, loose rack R shank-rod K and pull-knob K, as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, for the purpose specified.

3. A distinct bell-lever having the bell hammer and striking-spring attached thereto, and adapted 'to remain at rest during the whole of each registering-stroke of the main slide or its equivalent, to preclude ringing the bell until aiter each unit is fully registered, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, in a register, of a dis tinct bell-lever having the bell-hammer and strikingaspring attached thereto, and adapted to remain at rest during the whole of each registering-stroke of the main slide or its equivalent, with a workingpawl having a head adapted to engage with said lever during the return-stroke of said main slide or its equiva lent, and a main ratchet-wheel held against ICC retrogression by a detent-pawl, substantially as herein described, for ringing the bell after each registration, in the manner set forth.

5. The combination, in a register, of a distinct bell-lever having the bell-hammer and striking-spring attached thereto and adapted to remain at rest during the Whole of each registering-strokeof the main slide or its equivalent, and a swinging catch, arranged and 0perated substantially as herein described, to prevent ringing the bell until thefinal act of bringing the parts to rest after each registration, in the manner set forth.

6. The combination, in a register, of the main slide S, or its equivalent, the distinct bell-lever E, the single-click detent-pawl X, and their springs with the Working-pawl F, main ratchet-Wheel R, and a unit-registering mechanism actuated by said ratchet-Wheel, substantially as herein described, as improved means for returning said mechanism to correct JNO. W. FOWLER. DANIEL F. LEWIS. Witnesses:

EDWARD FINOH, JAS. L. EWIN. 

